IT\\\


Keep calm and carry on talking to your mobile tech supplier


Big changes are afoot in the very traditional mobile device technology sector - but there’s no need to panic, says Chris Tozer of mobile connectivity vendor Ivanti Supply Chain. Tozer (pictured right) is territory


manager for UK, Ireland and Italy for Ivanti, which provides application connectivity soſtware, mobile middleware, voice enablement and mobile device management solutions. The technology is used to sustain mission critical systems, used in warehouses and on the road, as well as by logistics companies,


major retailers and others. Mr Tozer says that while there


are currently major concerns in the market aſter Microsoſt announced that it would be stopping support for its Windows Mobile soſtware platform, this should not be a cause for mass panic. He argues that organisations have more than enough time to migrate to alternative platforms, with the best replacement being the Android OS. “There is some scaremongering


going on. People are being told that they have to migrate now - but while it is certainly time to think about it, and the train is coming,


Issue 6 2017 - Freight Business Journal


this situation, to devise a suitable transition strategy. Mobile


hardware in the


logistics industry is also in a state of transition, he adds. While it is possible to find devices dating from the mid 1990s in regular daily use, many firms are migrating to Android touch-screen hardware devices, as well as the Android OS, as well as even higher tech like voice-enabled solutions. Modern hardware and existing


they don’t have to jump on it right away. There is time to put a strategic and well thought out plan in place.” He urges companies to talk to


their mobile connectivity suppliers, who should be positioning themselves as trusted advisors rather


than hard salesmen in On the job with Hactl


Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Limited (Hactl) has introduced Virtual Reality training to help new staff


gain experience


before working in the challenging ramp environment. Hactl’s COSAC-VR provides


users with an interactive, fully immersive, 360 degree,


four-


dimensional experience. The first phase covers aircraft cargo compartment operations, and other areas of Hactl operations will be included in future modules. COSAC-VR overcomes the


limitations of on-the-job- training in preparing new staff for working in ramp handling:


the fast pace of work, and the restricted opportunity to practice on real aircraft and


ASM ready for Brexit


Forwarding soſtware specialist Agency Sector Management (ASM) has launched a major upgrade of its Sequoia soſtware including a complete freight management system, from job and shipment management and documentation through to


Customs declarations, job


costing, and invoicing. ASM says it will avoid the need


for data to be rekeyed and hence save time and costs, as well as reducing errors. It integrates into existing ASM soſtware without added cost to form part of the core functionality, eliminating the need for separate invoicing, sales management, or job costing soſtware. ASM chairman, Peter MacSwiney, said: “As Brexit


ramp equipment. The system is also fully portable, and can be quickly set up in any location.


negotiations develop, we are bound to see more pressure on Customs systems and regulations, which are in any case old and in the process of being replaced. “ASM customers need a flexible


and adaptable solution to rise to these challenges and the new release will support them to do just that as well as bringing time and cost savings by delivering a one stop shop for the entire freight management process.”


Imports made easy


Trade-only wholesaler AMI UK says its recently-launched online express imports service has already boosted traffic by 10% in its first three months, and is speeding up quotes and saving customers hours of research. The click2ship Express Imports service aims to make handling imports less labour-intensive


and more profitable for couriers and freight agents, by giving customers online quotes for any express import shipment. The all-inclusive pricing tool includes freight charges, collection at origin, delivery at destination and all Customs processing, taking the place of telephone enquiries - producing


accurate, instant quotes that couriers and agents can use to provide instant prices for their own customers based on prime integrator suppliers. The import service is


based closely on AMI’s well- established click2Sship Express Exports 2010.


system, launched in


back-end systems are also usually sufficiently flexible to cope with data input in a variety of ways. It is possible, for example, to use the new Android devices in traditional ‘green screen’ mode, for those employees who have decades of experience with the older devices.


Newer warehouse workers from


the millennial generation who are used to modern touchscreen phones would, on the other hand, be happier using devices in “smart screen mode”. A ‘mixed’ operation where everybody is using a single device model, but with a user interface that they are comfortable with and efficient at using, is perfectly feasible, he says. For larger organisations it is


advisable to start migrating and modernising now, as to do so properly will take time. But, for smaller firms, a “wait and see” approach is possible – they would most definitely benefit from learning from the best practices experiences by larger users before taking the plunge themselves.


27 In any case, the sheer numbers


of mobile devices in use - there are probably several million in the UK alone - means that an overnight switch en masse is simply not feasible. Some people have raised


concerns that mobile devices could be a source of ‘infection’ following the two computer virus scares that have gripped the industry recently. However, Mr Tozer points out that, so far at least, this has not been the case. “In a supply chain scenario, these devices tend to be quite carefully locked down in terms of access to things like the Internet. For health and safety reasons, companies don’t want people to start browsing Facebook when they’re at work in a warehouse.”


Seafreight is going electronic, says INTTRA expert


Is the freight industry ready to throw off “ingrained behaviour” and follow the passenger airline industry – where online, electronic booking of seats has become the norm? Peter Spellman, chief technology officer


The bigger task, though, is at ocean


shipping network INTTRA (pictured right) thinks that it might – given time. The low-cost passenger airlines, he says, were very successful at integration, at “getting data into a system and then to another partner”. This is where networks like INTTRA come into play. They can act as a ‘telephone exchange’ – so that each supply chain participant need only concern themselves with integrating with INTTRA and not with the myriad other players. “It means having one interface, rather than 1,000,” Spellman explains. INTTRA’s main business is


handling seafreight container bookings. While this may seem like a relatively simple process –


getting all the other agents in the supply chain linked up – truckers, rail operators at either end of the voyage, customs clearance agents and so on. It’s unclear how many, if any shipments are currently completely electronic from start


to finish but, says


Spellman, “the notion of doing everything electronically is certainly possible”. There will still be a role for the


roughly analogous with putting a bum on a plane seat – it is slightly more involved, says Spellman. For example, potential users of a shipping service must first be ‘mapped’ (approved) by the carrier.


Spellman calculates that


around half of seafreight containers booked


means – either directly between the shipper and carrier’s systems or through a user interface, such as a carrier website.


these days are by some electronic


freight forwarder in future, he believes; there is no question of ‘cutting out the middleman’. “All this does is make the forwarder more efficient. People have come to the realisation of all the value that the forwarder provides.” Forwarders do much more


than push paperwork he argues. They are in fact an essential element in ensuring that cargo gets from A TO B – and in future they could take on a whole new role in providing and analysing logistics data, or advising on best practice, Spellman argues.


Forward thinking, Forward moving


I am often asked about the important decisions made by our organization. Without hesitation, choosing


Forward Computers as our software provider is proving to be a pivotal one to the on-going success and the progression of Graylaw’s future.


Nick Green, General Manager, Graylaw Freight Group


forwardcomputers.co.uk


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